Dutra name in Azores - History
I just started my roots and am working on my mother's side - but my father was a Dutra.I have a couple of things that might be useful to someone's research.
I have a copy of an article from The Californians called The Origins of the Portuguese by Robert Santos, a reference librarian at California State University, Stanislaus. He cites a lot of books and they might be some help.
My uncle told my niece this for a school project:
"The sailors of the americas did not possess the skills to whale, but were good sailors and hired Portuguese descendants from the Azores Islands to do their whaling and harpooning.The boats left New England and sailed around Cape Horn in search of whales, filling their ships with oil.After filling out their cargo, they put into port at either California or Hawaii.Many times the captains of the ships would abandon the whalers, so as not be be forced to pay them. That's how a lot of them got to California.The name Dutra originated in the Feyal Island of the Azores Island chain.The Azores were colonized in the 1400's by Portuguese.Later, in the 1600's, many people from Holland and France fled their countries to avoid religious persecution.A group of people from the town of Utrecht, Holland landed in the Azores and set up a colony on Feyal.The portuguese people already there called these new colonists,"The people from Utrecht."This was pronounced "D'Utrecht" which later became Dutra.Today, the name Dutra is the most commonly encountered family name on the island of Feyal."
More Replies:
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William T. Wilson b c 1822 ?Portugal
Maureen Teachman 12/20/09
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Re: Dutra name in Azores - History
Robert Correia 11/05/02
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Re: Dutra name in Azores - History
4/17/01
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Re: Dutra name in Azores - History
Jessy Dutra 7/06/07
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Re: Dutra name in Azores - History